scholarly journals The Bad, the Good, and the Ugly about Oxidative Stress

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene Jimenez-Del-Rio ◽  
Carlos Velez-Pardo

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and cancer (e.g., leukemia) are the most devastating disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. Except for some kind of cancers, no effective and/or definitive therapeutic treatment aimed to reduce or to retard the clinic and pathologic symptoms induced by AD and PD is presently available. Therefore, it is urgently needed to understand the molecular basis of these disorders. Since oxidative stress (OS) is an important etiologic factor of the pathologic process of AD, PD, and cancer, understanding how intracellular signaling pathways respond to OS will have a significant implication in the therapy of these diseases. Here, we propose a model of minimal completeness of cell death signaling induced by OS as a mechanistic explanation of neuronal and cancer cell demise. This mechanism might provide the basis for therapeutic design strategies. Finally, we will attempt to associate PD, cancer, and OS. This paper critically analyzes the evidence that support the “oxidative stress model” in neurodegeneration and cancer.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Fiaschi ◽  
Paola Chiarugi

Conversely to normal cells, where deregulated oxidative stress drives the activation of death pathways, malignant cells exploit oxidative milieu for its advantage. Cancer cells are located in a very complex microenvironment together with stromal components that participate to enhance oxidative stress to promote tumor progression. Indeed, convincing experimental and clinical evidence underline the key role of oxidative stress in several tumor aspects thus affecting several characteristics of cancer cells. Oxidants influence the DNA mutational potential, intracellular signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation and survival and cell motility and invasiveness as well as control the reactivity of stromal components that is fundamental for cancer development and dissemination, inflammation, tissue repair, andde novoangiogenesis. This paper is focused on the role of oxidant species in the acquisition of two mandatory features for aggressive neoplastic cells, recently defined by Hanahan and Weinberg as new “hallmarks of cancer”: tumor microenvironment and metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells.


1994 ◽  
Vol 269 (18) ◽  
pp. 13162-13166
Author(s):  
Y. Konda ◽  
I. Gantz ◽  
J. DelValle ◽  
Y. Shimoto ◽  
H. Miwa ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 1316-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abderrahim Nemmar ◽  
Haider Raza ◽  
Priya Yuvaraju ◽  
Sumaya Beegam ◽  
Annie John ◽  
...  

Water-pipe smoking (WPS) is a common practice in the Middle East and is now gaining popularity in Europe and the United States. However, there is a limited number of studies on the respiratory effects of WPS. More specifically, the underlying pulmonary pathophysiological mechanisms related to WPS exposure are not understood. Presently, we assessed the respiratory effects of nose-only exposure to mainstream WPS generated by commercially available honey flavored “moasel ” tobacco. The duration of the session was 30 min/day and 5 days/wk for 1 mo. Control mice were exposed to air only. Here, we measured in BALB/c mice the airway resistance using forced-oscillation technique. Lung inflammation was assessed histopathologically and by biochemical analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and oxidative stress was evaluated biochemically by measuring lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione and several antioxidant enzymes. Pulmonary inflammation assessment showed an increase in neutrophil and lymphocyte numbers. Likewise, airway resistance was significantly increased in the WPS group compared with controls. Tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6 concentrations were significantly increased in BAL fluid. Lipid peroxidation in lung tissue was significantly increased whereas the level and activity of antioxidants including reduced glutathione, glutathione S transferase, and superoxide dismutase were all significantly decreased following WPS exposure, indicating the occurrence of oxidative stress. Moreover, carboxyhemoglobin levels were significantly increased in the WPS group. We conclude that 1-mo nose-only exposure to WPS significantly increased airway resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Our results provide a mechanistic explanation for the limited clinical studies that reported the detrimental respiratory effects of WPS.


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